Interpersonal Communication Issues in "The Big Bang Theory" Show

Today I was watching one of my favorite funny episodes called the Big Bang theory starring Jim Parsons as Sheldon and Johnny Galecki as Leonard. This one particular episode I was watching, was dealing with a lot of interpersonal conflicts that were going on throughout the entire show. The episode of some I watched on the Big Bang Theory called “The Sales Call Sublimation” stood out most to me because of its interpersonal conflict in it. This very popular show is a looking into the lives of a group of friend who live together and interact on a regular basis and the issues they deal with. While I was watching the show it showed me ways that people can have communication issues between friends regardless of how close or far apart they appear to be.

First, one example that shows an interpersonal communication issue in this show is when Sheldon is on a video call with Amy because she is away for a meeting. She proceeded to tell him that she wishes he was there and his response is in the negative. Amy took this information and saw a potential conflict. In order to avoid the conflict, Amy takes what he says and replies that she “was glad he was not there.” Amy is dealing with the potential conflict by using the conflict style of accommodation. This is one part of the episode in which I saw one of the forms of Interpersonal conflict as it takes your true form of accommodation here as described in our book. That is to say that when a person chooses this approach to manage conflict, they are willing to give up their own concerns to satisfy the concerns of others. The accommodating style is one of sacrifice and selflessness.

Next, in this episode I touched on several disputes that were easy to catch on to after reading the material. We often watch televisions not realizing that what we are viewing are examples of interpersonal conflicts that occur in our everyday life. Often the disputes presented in these episodes are either abusive, go unresolved or could have been resolved in a better way. Philosophers define the dark side of interpersonal communication as interactions that are challenging, painful, distressing, and problematic. The public was entertained watching an actor portray a character raised by an abusive mother speak of the trauma he endured at the hands of his parent and the abuse that he married a woman that has gradually become identical to his mother.

This type of interpersonal conflict has resulted in the actor taking on an accommodating personality in his marriage giving in to the demands of his wife who does not see or understand how she has throughout the course of the relationship taken on the role of the manipulator. After the psychiatrist evaluated the actress playing the role of the wife as having taken on the motherly role rather than finding the tools to work on addressing the matter that is harmful to the marriage. The doctor instead prescribed medication to help her cope with the anxiety issues resulting from the interpersonal conflicts with her spouse and his friends.

Then, when the doctor identified the problems within the marriage including the manipulative roommate that plays on everyone's empathy medication alone is not sufficient to address what is lacking in the relationship. What I did find interesting was that by the end of what was supposed to be a meeting to discuss the medication she was selling just as the wife manipulated her husband to get her in to see the doctor. The doctor, in turn, managed to turn the pharmaceutical rep into a patient. One thing that offered promise was that the actress was open and receptive to meeting with the doctor again and agreed with the husband in how helpful speaking with the doctor was.

That conflict could have been solved better utilizing first identifying a problem existed in the methods of communicating between the actors and establishing a plan of action to work on addressing the matter. Verbal and non-verbal communications were not used to the scripts best advantage. The ability to listen, along with the use of problem-solving skills, was not used effectively so there was noise since the ineffective communication which is a key in interpersonal communication.

In conclusion, when watching TV shows dealing with interpersonal communication and conflict we have to understand that what we are watching is a mirror image of what reality is in our everyday lives. We shouldn’t let conflict interpersonally mess with our interpersonal communication between each other as humans in the world. How can we change our negative relationship behaviors if we have not identified them as being wrong? The supports lacking in this episode were empathy lacking on behalf of the spouse and the actor’s friends. Although the friends, spouse, and psychiatrist identified what they thought were the problems but the manner in which the handled the matter was negative and hurtful. We must be devoted and coexist with one another in honoring one another above our own self’s in this we have peace and understanding of what true coexistence is.